"Would Tia be in trouble if I was her Cavalier?"

  It was the first question Perez asked when Mrs. Impigra visited Poirak Palace and offered to be a Cavalier.

  "What……?"

  Mrs. Impigra blinked her wrinkled eyes in bewilderment for a moment.

  This was because the answer to the words ’This is an opportunity to make a good impression on the noble by avoiding the check between the empress and the first prince.’, was unexpected.

  But Mrs. Impigra quickly regained her composure and asked in a calm voice.

  "I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t quite understand what you were saying, so could you repeat it?"

  "When I was mobilized, I almost got Tia in trouble because of my position."

  Perez spoke in a rather placid voice.

  "I know it’s good for me to be her Cavalier, but I won’t do it again if my greed puts Tia in a trouble."

  Mrs. Impigra opened her mouth after choosing the words for a while.

  "You two must be very good friends."

  Perez did not reply to that.

  Instead, he asked a different question.

  "If you choose me as Cavalier, you’ll find it difficult for maid-chief. Why are you giving me a chance?"

  Mrs. Impigra flinched, and shook her head with a small sigh.

  "Looks like the people below seem to have given you the slip of the tongue." [1]

  "I just don’t have a mother or a family to empower, not eyes and ears."

  "Hmm……"

  The wrinkles of Mrs. Impigra, which spills low, deepened.

  "The only thing I know how to do is to take care of the Palace’s household, but the Imperial Debutante remains my full authority. Your Highness is free to let go of your worries."

  "But……"

  Perez looked at Mrs. Impigra with red eyes, unable to know her feelings.

  As the sun set out of the window, Perez’s eyes turned redder.

  The sight reminded Impigra of someone unknowingly.

  "Your Highness Second Prince really resembles His Majesty the former Emperor."

  "……I’ve heard that before."

  Lulak Lombardy once said.

  Perez is said to resemble the former Emperor rather than his father, Emperor Jovanes.

  Mrs. Impigra looked at Perez with a long face and said.

  "I don’t think there’s any new gossip going around just because Lady Lombardy and His Highness, who are already playmate, will be partners in the debut party. What would you do?"

  Perez nodded after a moment’s thought.

  "I’ll do it, Cavalier."

  With that said, Perez first drew a smile on the corners of his mouth.

  Mrs. Impigra laid down her pen, recalling the day, and closed her journal.

  Then someone knocked on the door of the office.

  "The Empress is calling."

  One of the maids of the Empress Palace, was once one of the children cherished by the maid-chief Impigra.

  The maid-chief Impigra lifted up her weary body.

  The distance from the Imperial Palace to the Empress Palace, where her office is located, was now too much for her to walk.

  It was obvious the Empress’s Palace maid was on purpose, even though they knew it they didn’t prepare the carriage in advance.

  Mrs. Impigra refused to show her hard work, but she could not hide her pale complexion and cold sweat when she arrived at the Empress’s Palace.

  "Welcome, Mrs. Impigra."

  The Empress did not recommend a seat even after seeing her hand shaking with a cane.

  "I know you’re busy preparing for the debutant ball, but I called the maid-chief to make a suggestion."

  "……Please speak."

  "Change the 2nd Prince to Cavalier of Camporia."

  Mrs. Impigra quietly wiped away the cold sweat running through her cheeks with a handkerchief.

  The Empress was a very beautiful and ambitious person.

  But he was blinded by that ambition and poisoned.

  "No, thank you."

  Mrs. Impigra shook her head firmly.

  It was because the Second Prince, who had been calling Lombardy’s Young Lady ’Tia’ and treat her in respect, was clear.

  It was just a hunch, but if he couldn’t become the Cavalier of Lady Lombardy, she thought that the debutante ball would mean nothing to the Second Prince.

  "The Imperial Debutante ball is a very special event under the unique authority of this Fonta Impigra."

  "A few days ago, you collapsed in your office and went to see a doctor?"

  The Empress grinned and said.

  "If His Majesty know that, this year will be the last debutant of the maid-chief. Is that okay?"

  Mrs. Impigra was nothing short of a grandmother to the Emperor.

  It was obvious that Jovanes would order her to retire immediately and recuperate if he knew that the health of her handmaiden’s getting worse day by day.

  "If I retire, I won’t be able to stay in the Palace anymore……"

  The only home for Mrs. Impigra was the Imperial Palace.

  The Empress knew her well, waited for her surrender with a relaxed heart

  But at the next words of the maid-chief, the Empress’s beautiful face was distorted.

  "Then I’ll have to put more effort into this year’s debutante. It’s going to be my last debutante dance. Then, I’d like to say goodbye now."

  "Hey, Maid-chief Impigra!"

  The Empress, who did not know that the maid-chief would give up her seat so easily, rose from her seat and raised her voice.

  However, the maid-chief Impigra said, looking at the Empress with pitiful eyes.

  "You reap what you sow, Empress. Keep that in mind."

  "What are you……!"

  The Empress shouted, but Mrs. Impigra did not stop walking.

  Anyway, if this is her last debutante dance, there was nothing to be afraid of.

  * * *

  Gallahan Clothing Store headquarters located in Heslot Market, Capital City.

  There was Gallahan sitting alone, sighing nervously, putting up a particularly closed sign today.

  "Phew…… Will Tia like it?"

  Gallahan’s eyes were on the dress on one side.

  It was a green dress made of premium silk, obtained by asking Madame Sussew.

  After Tia’s debutante was decided, Gallahan had been designing and creating all night long.6

  Only one dress shone in the world for his daughter.

  Originally, he was going to discuss with Tia, but he made it because he wanted to give a surprise gift to his daughter who does everything alone, as a father.

  "Should I have asked……?"

  And now Gallahan was blaming himself in the past.

  It was because he was scared thinking, ’What if she don’t like it?’.

  Gallahan, who was washing his face with tension, suddenly recalled his long-awaited wife, Shan.

  "Tia’s green dress…… It’s going to be really pretty."

  After giving birth to a child, Shan, who was getting weaker day by day, held Tia in her arms, which was just becoming 100 days old.

  Shan was a very mysterious woman.

  On the first day they met, she was a woman who was walking looking straight at himself.4

  Like someone who knows that on that day, their relationship will begin.

  Shan also said odd things from time to time like a person who can see the future.5

  ’Green dress’ was one of those words.

  The words, which had been completely forgotten, revived in his sleep, and Gallahan chose Tia’s debut dress in dark green.

  And he stayed up all night drawing the design as if he was possessed.

  His hands were constantly moving, as if it had been in his head for a long time, and the design of the dress was completed at the same time as the sun went down.

  And this day, Gallahan has been so busy making dresses.

  In Gallahan’s head, this dress was perfect for Tia.

  Delicate flowers embroidered with gold along the dress hem, sleeves, and neckline.1

  The white and dainty pearls on the pleats that are placed on the chest and shoulders.

  All were gifts from Gallahan for the most precious Tia in the world.

  "But what if Tia doesn’t like it……"

  There’s no point on giving up!

  Then, a carriage was heard from outside, Tia and Louryl came in.

  "Dad!"

  When he saw her daughter running as hard as she could, Gallahan, who was in tears, opened his eyes wide as if he had never done so.

  "Tia!"

  Gallahan felt his heart full as he hugged Tia’s body tightly with a leap.

  Tia was everything in the world to Gallahan from the day the little hand clenched his finger.

  For this child, it would not be a waste to lay down his life a hundred times, or a thousand times.1

  Every time he held Tia in his arms, Gallahan thought so.1

  "Wow, is this my dress?"

  Tia stood in front of the dress on the wall.

  Gallahan’s heart started beating fast.

  And after a while.

  "Oh, I love it! Thank you, Dad!"

  Tia jumped into Gallahan’s arms once again.

  "What a relief……?"

  Gallahan let out a sigh of relief as he patted his daughter on the back.

  "I’ll hurry up and get dressed!"

  Gallahan felt on the next test after Tia walked into the dressing room with Louryl.

  It would look good on her. He think it’ll look good on her.

  It felt like a long time.

  "Dad, how do I look?"

  Tia walked out of the fitting room and shouted loudly.

  Gallahan, who was bowing in tension, smiled.

  When he saw his pretty daughter, he feels he’ll raise his hands and scream.

  "I think it’s perfect for me!"

  Looking back, Tia was full of sorry.

  Shan died before her daughter was one year old, and Gallahan, who was left alone, was an immature father.

  Moreover, everything seems to be his fault with Tia’s growing and resembling his timid personality, Gallahan was just sorry.

  Tia was too much of a daughter for a bad father.2

  "Thank you, Dad!"

  Tia smiled broadly as she looked back at Gallahan.

  The day has come when a child, who was small enough to fit in one arm wrapped in soft and strong, grew up and wore a debutante dress.

  "You should look better in front of the big mirror!"

  Tia trotted in front of the mirror in front of the wall.

  Gallahan covered his mouth quietly.

  A drop of heavy tears fell and flowed down the back of Gallahan’s hand.

  Ahh, this is a child he’s not good enough for.

  He didn’t do anything nice enough to be the father of such a lovely child.3

  The excitement, and the voices talking with Louryl were so precious.

  ’You were right.’


  Gallahan grinned as he kept his eyes on his daughter.

  ’Our daughter in a green dress is so beautiful.’


  Shan’s laughter, which seemed like a cool stream of water in the hot summer sky, seemed to be heard in his ears.

  Gallahan kept his eyes on Tia to remember everything about this moment and called her a long-awaited name.

  ’Shan, are you watching this?’’


  6

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  [1] ’Slip of tongue’ - A small mistake made when speaking.